Machine for destroying potato-bugs.



O. SOHNIOKE.

MACHINE on DESTROYING POTATO BUGS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 13, 1908.

906,068. V Patented Dec. 8,1908;

2 sHEBTssRE'ET 1.

amwwboz 1H: NORRIS PETERS ca. WASHINGTON, v4 cv O. SCHNIGKE. MAGHINE FOR. DESTROYING POTATO BUGS. APPLIOATIONTILED MAY13,:1'908.

906,068, Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Sad/newton I OTTO SOHNIOKE, OF ORLEAN CENTER. MICHIGAN.

MACHINE FOR DESTROYING POTATO-BUGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed May 13, 1908.

Patented Dec. 8, 1908.

Serial No. 432,719.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OTTO SOHNIOKE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Orlean Center, in the county of Ionia and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful Machine for Destroying Potato-Bugs, of which the following is a specification.

This invention has relation to machines for destroying potato-bugs and it consists of a novel construction and arrangement of its parts hereinafter shown and described.

The object of the invention is to provide a machine of the character indicated which consists primarily of a wheel-supported axle upon which is mounted a frame. Brushes are journaled for rotation at op osite sides of the frame and means is provi ed for raising and lowering the said brushes with relation to each other. A secondary frame is attached to the first said frame and supports an endless belt which cooperates with a roll for crushing the insects as they are deposited thereon by the brushes. Means is also provided for raising and lowering the said secondary frame with relation to the primary frame. Draft-thills are connected with the primary frame and an operators seat is supported thereon. The moving parts of the machine derive motion from the supporting axle and suitable gears and chains are provided for the urpose of transmitting motion to the movab e parts of the machine from the said axle.

With these and other objects in view the machine consists of the sim le and effective arrangement of parts as wi be hereinafter described.

Figure 1 is a to plan view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side (ilevation of the same with parts broken away and Fig. 3 is an end view of a secondary frame used u on the machine.

The machine consists of t e axle 1 which is supported by the ground-wheels 2. The hubs of the said wheels are provided with clutch-members 3 which are adapted to cooperate with the clutch-members 4 mounted upon the axle 1. A lever 5 is also mounted upon the axle 1 and is operatively connected by means of a link 6 with the clutch-members 4 for the purpose of moving the same longitudinally along the axle to engage and disengage the clutch-members 3 at the hubs of the wheels 2. The frame 6 is mounted upon the axle 1 and as the said frame and its supported parts are in binary arrangement a description of one portion of the frame and the parts mounted thereon will answer for both. Each portion of the frame 6 is pro vided at its forward end with a laterally bowed or ogee shaped portion 8 and a draftsill 7 is connected with the forward portion of the side of the frame 6. Each side of the frame 6 is provided with the lugs 9 in which the shaft 10 is journaled for rotation. The transversely disposed shaft 11 is j ournaled at its end portion in the opposite sides of the frame 6 and the sprocket-wheel 12 is mount ed upon the said shaft 11. The sprocketwheel 13 is mounted upon the axle 1 and the spro cket-chain 14 passes around the sprocketwheels 12 and 13. The shaft 11 is provided at its opposite ends with the beveled-pinions 15 which mesh with the beveled pinions 16 mounted upon the shafts 10. A sprocketwheel 17 is mounted upon each of the shafts 10. The bracket-arms 18 are mounted upon the shafts 19 and are adapted to swing with the same. Each shaft 19 is provided with a sprocket-wheel 20 and the sprocket-chain 21 passes around the sprocket-wheels 17 and 20. The radially disposed brushes 22 are mounted upon the shafts 19 and rotate with the same. The levers 24 are fulcrumed to the side portions of the frame 6. Each lever 24 is connected by means of a link 25 with a bell-crank rocker 26 fulcrumed upon the side of the frame 6 and which is connected at its upper end with a lug 27 formed at the inner end of the bracket-arm 18. A gearrack 28 is mounted upon the side portion of the frame 6 and is adapted to be engaged by pawl-mechanism 29 carried by the lever 24. The standards 30 and 31 depend from the side portions of the frame 6 and the shaft 32 is journaled for rotation at the lower ends thereof. A sprocket-wheel 33 is mounted upon the shaft 32 and a sprocket-wheel 34 is mounted upon the shaft 11. The sprocketchain 35 passes around the sprocket-wheels 34 and 33. The secondary frame 36 is supported at its rear end by the shaft 32. The forward end of the said frame 36 is connected with the vertically disposed link 37 which in turn is adjustably connected with the forward end of the lever 38. Said lever is fulcrumed upon a post 39 mounted upon the frame 6. The frame 36 is provided at its sides with the laterally disposed wings 40 which are disposed under the brushes 22 mounted upon the shafts 19. The roller 41 is j ournaled for rotation at the forward end portion of the frame 36 and the roll 42 is j ournaled near the rear end of the said frame 36. The roller 43 is journaled at the rear end of the frame 36 and is located above the roll 42. The pinion 47 is mounted upon the shaft of the roller 43 and meshes with the pinion 48 mounted upon the shaft 32. The endless belt 49 passes around the roller 41 and the roller 43. The upper portion of the belt passes under the roll 42 and the lower portion of said belt passes under the roll 42 which is journaled in the frame 36 below the roll 42.

From the foregoing description it is obvious that as the machine is drawn along rows of plants and that as the axle l is rotated, rotary motion is transmitted through the sprocket-wheels 13 and 12 and their connections to the shafts 10. From the said shafts 10 rotary motion is transmitted by means of the sprocket-chains 21 and sprocketwheels 20 to the shafts 19 thus the brushes 22 are rotated toward each other and as they come in contact with insects upon the plants standing in adjacent rows the said insects are knocked from the plants and thrown upon the endless belt 49. At the same time rotary movement is transmitted from the aXle 1 to-the shaft 11 and through the cham 35 to the shaft 32. From the said shaft 32 rotary movement is transmitted through the intermeshing pinions 47 and 48 to the roller 43 and thus the endless belt 49 is drawn under the roll 42 and as the insects which were previously cast upon the said belt 49 are drawn under the roll 42 they are crushed thereby and destroyed.

Thus it will be seen that a machine of simple construction is provided for accomplishing the object in view and at the same time by manipulating either one of the levers 24 the shafts 19 at the sides of the frame 6 may be raised or lowered independently of each other in order to accommodate the brushes 22 to plants of different heights. Also by manipulating the lever 38 the frame 36 may be raised or lowered in order that the belt 49 may be properly positioned with relation to the surface of the ground and when in proper adjusted position the said lever may be tied or otherwise secured to any convenient part of the implement, or the lever 38 may be swung laterally to move the belt 49 to the right or left to pass between the rows .of plants when the same are not in true alinement.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters- Patent is 2- A machine as described comprising a frame, wheels supporting the same, a shaft journaled for rotation and being transversely disposed with relation to the frame, means for transmitting rotary movement from the supporting wheels to said shaft, parallel shafts journaled for rotation at the opposite sides of said frame and being operatively connected with the first said shaft, brackets pivotally mounted at their inner ends upon the said parallel shafts, means for swinging the said brackets vertically and independently of each other, shafts ournaled for rotation at the outer ends of the said brackets, brushes carried by the last said shafts, means operatively connecting the last said shafts with the first said parallel shafts, a receptacle carried by the frame and being located below and between the said brushes, rollers journaled for rotation in the said receptacle, an endless belt mounted for orbital movement along the said receptacle, and means for transmitting movement from the first said shaft to the said belt.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signaturein the presence of two witnesses.

OTTO SCHNICKE.

Witnesses WALTER YEoMANs, W. B. HEATH. 

